Man defends decision to shoot dog, saying it had killed his chickens

Boone Co. man kills neighbor's dog with bow and arrow

His shot was on target, but James Eggleston has come under fire after shooting and killing a neighbor's dog with a bow and arrow.

"I just yelled at it a whole lot, and it came back and started coming towards me with its hair standing up," Eggleston said.

He said the dog, called Uconn, had attacked and killed half his chickens last month, and he said the dog came back to chase the birds and attack his own dog while he was target shooting in his back yard.

The family that owned the dog, who asked to keep their last name anonymous, said they began chasing after Uconn as soon as he got loose.

"I understand he was on their property, but what if he had missed and shot my son?" said dog owner Sonia. "My son was within feet on the other side of this brush."

Eggleston has not been charged, and legal experts said that won't likely happen.

"It would become criminal only if he were cruel to that animal, and I doubt defending himself would be cruel to an animal," said attorney Mark Krumbein.

Former prosecutor Jason Phillabaum agrees, saying that people are allowed to defend themselves and even their property against dog attacks.

"Let's say the family sues him for the loss of the dog, then he would likely sue them for the loss of the livestock," Phillabaum said.

Discharging a weapon is illegal in many places, but not in the part of Boone County where Eggleston lives.

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